Athletic key clasp system and method

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for retaining and securing such physical objects to a person participating in athletic activities and the like. The apparatus for retaining a key having a head portion and a shank portion coupled to the head portion includes a body having a wall defining a cavity including a length dimension and a width dimension greater than a proximate length dimension and width dimension of the shank portion when in a storage mode; and a key coupler for operatively retaining the key relative to the cavity in at least two modes, the key moveably proximated to the body to define the storage mode wherein the shank portion is retained within the cavity and an operational mode in which the shank portion extends beyond the body. The method of storing a key having a head portion and shank portion coupled to the head portion includes securing the key within a body having a wall defining a cavity including a length dimension and a width dimension greater than a proximate length dimension and width dimension of the shank portion when in a storage mode; and retaining operatively the key relative to the cavity in at least two modes, the key moveably proximated to the body to define the storage mode wherein the shank portion is retained within the cavity and an operational mode in which the shank portion extends beyond the body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to key holders, and morespecifically to a key clasp for use during athletic activities and thelike.

It is well known for persons to employ one or more physical objects usedfor securing a residence portal (e.g., a key for a lock in a front door)in many different instances. Many of these persons are often confrontedwith a dilemma when they desire to participate in activities outside ofthe residence, particularly running and other athletic activities. Thedilemma is to forego the use of the physical object to secure the portaland thereby not require its use when returning to the residence or touse the physical object and thereafter carry it during such activitiesso it is available for reentry.

The former option is not always available for multiperson residencestructures (e.g., apartment complexes) and when available the option maybe undesirable in many circumstances due to real or perceivedcompromised security scenarios.

The latter option is not ideal as the person either has to secret theobject where it may stored and recovered without detection by others, orthe object must be carried during the activity. Besides theinconvenience of carrying the object, the object may be especially proneto loss because the person often does not participate in such activitieswith clothing and accessories that normally and conventionallyaccommodate such objects during non-athletic activities. Considering arunning activity, many runners participate in the activity by wearingspecial running attire that offers minimal storage facilities. In someinstances, multiple objects may be required for entrance, such as onefor a lobby door and one for the specific residence, further taxinglimited storage resources.

Many people desire to have minimal distractions during participation intheir chosen activity and desire some option that does not requirespecial preparation, monitoring, or otherwise interfere with immersioninto the activity.

The prior art has offered some solutions including retrofit pockets suchas for strapping to a running shoe and providing limited storage spacein running shorts. Other solutions include simply tying a rubber band tothe key and attaching it to one's wrist—an inconvenient and oftenuncomfortable solution.

Unfortunately, these solutions are not always ideal. Many people havelimited time for such activities so their preference is to buy and wearappropriate gear without regard to the availability of pockets.Additionally, over time (particularly as seasons change) the person willuse different gear and in some cases such as for running, layers ofclothing may be employed. Some layering arrangements inhibit theaccessibility and any ease-of-use for such pockets.

What is needed is an efficient and convenient system and method forretaining and securing such physical objects to a person participatingin athletic activities and the like.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for retaining and securing suchphysical objects to a person participating in athletic activities andthe like. The apparatus for retaining a key having a head portion and ashank portion coupled to the head portion includes a body having a walldefining a cavity including a length dimension and a width dimensiongreater than a proximate length dimension and width dimension of theshank portion when in a storage mode; and a key coupler for operativelyretaining the key relative to the cavity in at least two modes, the keymoveably proximated to the body to define the storage mode wherein theshank portion is retained within the cavity and an operational mode inwhich the shank portion extends beyond the body. The method of storing akey having a head portion and shank portion coupled to the head portionincludes securing the key within a body having a wall defining a cavityincluding a length dimension and a width dimension greater than aproximate length dimension and width dimension of the shank portion whenin a storage mode; and retaining operatively the key relative to thecavity in at least two modes, the key moveably proximated to the body todefine the storage mode wherein the shank portion is retained within thecavity and an operational mode in which the shank portion extends beyondthe body.

The present invention is an efficient and simple solution to retainingand securing physical objects, such as keys, to a person participatingin athletic activities and the like. The key clasp of the preferredembodiment is adapted to easily attach to an article of clothing, forexample by the use of one hand, and to thereby secure the keys to theclothing while reducing potential drawbacks and irritations commonlyassociated with clipping a key ring to clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment for a keyclasp of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the key clasp shown in FIG. 1without any keys;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the key clasp shown in FIG. 1 withtwo keys;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the key clasp shown in FIG. 3 withthe keys moved into the operational mode; and

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the key clasp shown in FIG. 3 withthe keys moved into the storage mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for retainingand securing physical objects to a person participating in athleticactivities and the like. The following description is presented toenable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the inventionand is provided in the context of a patent application and itsrequirements. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment and thegeneric principles and features described herein will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the embodiment shown but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and features describedherein.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment for a keyclasp 100 of the present invention. Clasp 100 includes a body 105 and akey coupler 110, with a portion of body 105 forming an attachmentmember. Body 105 defines a region, more particularly described below,having a width “w” and a length “l” from coupler 110 to an end 115 ofthe attachment member.

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of key clasp 100 shown in FIG. 1without any keys. Clasp 100 includes the attachment member (shown as aparticular adaptation 200 of body 105) including a clipping portion 205coupled to end 115. Body 105 defines a cavity 210 between a rear wallportion 215 and clipping portion 205. Rear wall portion 215 is separatednominally by a distance “d” from clipping portion 200 which is also alength of coupler 110. Thus body 105 defines cavity 210 having volumedimensions of “w”×“l”×“d.”

Body 105 of the preferred embodiment is unitary construction meaning asingle, formed, piece of lightweight material sufficiently resistant toplastic deformation (e.g., aluminum) to provide a springy clippingfunction as described below. As shown, body 105 of the preferredembodiment is generally “U” shaped and adapted to form a key retainingcavity, with a portion of the body forming a clipping member, thoughother constructions and configurations are possible and remain withinthe scope of the present invention. In some embodiments, body 105 may bea composite of two or more integrated sub-pieces.

Rear wall 215 is preferably planar, extending beyond end 115 usingcoupler 110 as a starting reference. The amount of extension isdependent upon design considerations of specific implementationsconsidering the present teachings.

Coupler 110 is, in the preferred embodiment, a key retaining structurefor holding one or more keys within cavity 210 while permitting movementof one or more keys between a storage mode and an operational mode. Forthe example shown in the preferred embodiment, coupler 110 is a pin,most preferably a reusable pin, permitting keys to be rotated about thepin when moving between the two modes. By reusable, the presentinvention contemplates a key coupling system wherein one or more keysmay be repeatedly associated with, and disassociated from, key clasp110. In some implementations, coupler 110 may be a two-part threadedbolt and mating receptacle, while in other instances coupler 110 may bea snap-fit pin and receptacle. However, some implementations may notprovide for a reusable key coupler 110. Such implementations are stillwithin the scope of the present invention. For example, it may bedesirable to provide one or two key blanks permanently integrated into asuitable body and connected by a rivet or the like. In this instance, auser has a particular key duplicated onto the blank for use and does notremove the key from clasp 100.

In addition to retaining keys as described above, key coupler 110 alsoserves to define cavity 210 by biasing the walls of body 105 into thedesired relative orientation. Distance “d” is selected, in the preferredembodiment, to be an integral number of standard key widths, with one ortwo key widths the most preferred alternatives.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of key clasp 100 shown in FIG. 1 withtwo keys (Key_1 and Key_2 stacked side-by-side and extending from rearwall 215). FIG. 3 illustrates a particular orientation of bodyadaptation 200 relative to Key_1 and Key_2. Beginning at coupler 110 andtraveling towards end 115, attachment member 200 quickly increases itsseparation from rear wall 215 and then sharply bends toward rear wall215 to gradually slope towards clipping portion 205 that is immediatelyadjacent key Key_2 in the preferred embodiment. Thereafter, bodyadaptation 200 again quickly increases a separation distance from Key_2until another bend is made so that end 115 extends for a some distanceparallel to Key_2 with a space 300 provided between Key_2 and end 115.Of course, other number of keys may be accommodated, the discussionwould be different depending upon which key was closest to clippingportion 205 but otherwise would not depart from the description of thepresent invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, end 115 is bluntly pointed. It is further a featureof the preferred embodiment that peripheral edges of body adaptation 200are smooth and rounded or otherwise adapted to not cut, poke, pierce,abrade or otherwise injure/irritate a person's skin or clothing. This isbecause end 115, as shown, engages an edge of a structure, like an edgeof an article of clothing, and slides relative to the structure tomaintain the structure between clipping portion 205 and Key_2. In onepreferred embodiment, such as in the case of a waistband of a pair ofshorts, end 115 extends inside the shorts next to the body capturing thewaistband between clipping portion 205 and Key_2. Space 300 provides aneasy mechanism to engage a suitable structure edge and also to separatebody adaptation 200 against the clipping/biasing force using one hand.In this configuration, the smooth edges of body 105 are inside theshorts while the toothed structures of the keys are outside, limitingthe key's impact upon the person's participation in their chosenactivity. Alternatively, the arrangement may be reversed with end 115extending external of the waistband, with keys and rear wall 215internal, for example. Still other configuring solutions are possiblewithin the scope of the present invention.

In operation, once one or more keys are coupled to key clasp 100, theuser simply and efficiently clips key clasp 100 to a suitable structure(e.g., a hemline, waistband, collar, cuffband, shoelace, headband, andthe like) by clipping the structure between clipping portion 205 and oneof the keys.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show an additional feature of the preferred embodimentenhancing the usefulness of key clasp 100. FIG. 4 is a side perspectiveview of key clasp 100 shown in FIG. 3 with each Key_1 and Key_2 movedinto an operational mode. FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of key clasp100 shown in FIG. 3 with each Key_1 and Key_2 moved into a storage mode.

As shown in FIG. 4, each key has a head portion 400 and a shank portion405. Most keys include an aperture of some sort, a hole or opening, toenable a user to attach the key to a key ring. Key coupler 110 of thepreferred embodiment is adapted to engage this aperture when a key isretained within body 105. However, in some embodiments an alternativeretaining system may be employed to secure one or more keys to keycoupler 110. An adapter may be employed for this purpose, as well as forretaining keys having enlarged apertures to provide for better operationbetween the operational mode and the storage mode. In the operationalmode shown in FIG. 4, the shank portion of a key is exposed foroperation in well-known fashion.

As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of each key's head portion extends beyonda lateral periphery of body 105 (e.g., the width “w” is less than awidth “W” of head portion 400) while shank portion 405 of each key isretained with cavity 210 shown in FIG. 2. A clipping force from clippingportion 205, or a compressive force from key coupler 110 on head portion400, may be adjusted to inhibit movement of one or more keys from thestorage mode to the operational mode until purposefully moved. Note thatin the preferred embodiments for one key and two keys, head portion 400of each key will be exposed—a head portion of one key is exposed fromthe back and the front, while for two keys a head portion of one key isavailable from the front and the head portion of the other key isavailable from the rear. For more than two keys, a solution described inthe next paragraph may be used.

The length “l” of cavity 210 is also adjusted, which in the preferredembodiment is designed to extend beyond expected lengths of shankportions 405 of keys used with key clasp 100. However, in someimplementations, it may be desirable to adjust the length “l” to permitan end portion of shank portions 405 to extend beyond end 115, such asfor example, to assist in movement of a key from the storage mode intothe operational mode or when there are more than two keys. Such animplementation may be desirable when the width “w” is greater than thewidth “W” or when a retaining force for the storage mode is relativelygreat making easy movement to the operational mode somewhat difficult.

While the preferred embodiment of key clasp 100 incorporates both theclipping function and the storage/operational mode features, someimplementations may include a single one of the features withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. For example, thestorage mode may be desirable as a replacement for a conventional keyring or key fob as it protects the inside of a key container (e.g., apants pocket) from the abrading effects of the teeth of the keys, and itimproves the organization, sound, and appearance of conventional keyorganizers which frequently appear to be a jumble of keys that rattlearound together and can create unwelcome sounds in some circumstances.

Although embodiments of the invention have been described primarily withrespect to running, many types of activities like biking, surfing,swimming may benefit from features of the invention including manyeveryday activities like walking and hiking. In some embodiments, thekey clasp is a substitute for conventional key rings (particularly whenthe user has few keys). Providing additional functions for the body ofthe key clasp, such as ornamentation functions or remote alarmdeactivation functions, is also possible and such implementations remainwithin the scope of the present invention.

In the description herein, numerous specific details are provided, suchas examples of components and/or methods, to provide a thoroughunderstanding of embodiments of the present invention. One skilled inthe relevant art will recognize, however, that an embodiment of theinvention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details,or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components,materials, parts, and/or the like. In other instances, well-knownstructures, materials, or operations are not specifically shown ordescribed in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of thepresent invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “anembodiment”, or “a specific embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and notnecessarily in all embodiments. Thus, respective appearances of thephrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, or “in a specificembodiment” in various places throughout this specification are notnecessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures, or characteristics of any specificembodiment of the present invention may be combined in any suitablemanner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood thatother variations and modifications of the embodiments of the presentinvention described and illustrated herein are possible in light of theteachings herein and are to be considered as part of the spirit andscope of the present invention.

It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted inthe drawings/figures can also be implemented in a more separated orintegrated manner, or even removed or rendered as inoperable in certaincases, as is useful in accordance with a particular application.

Additionally, any signal arrows in the drawings/Figures should beconsidered only as exemplary, and not limiting, unless otherwisespecifically noted. Furthermore, the term “or” as used herein isgenerally intended to mean “and/or” unless otherwise indicated.Combinations of components or steps will also be considered as beingnoted, where terminology is foreseen as rendering the ability toseparate or combine is unclear.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,“a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural references unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein andthroughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and“on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the presentinvention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed herein. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognizeand appreciate. As indicated, these modifications may be made to thepresent invention in light of the foregoing description of illustratedembodiments of the present invention and are to be included within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

Thus, while the present invention has been described herein withreference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification,various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoingdisclosures, and it will be appreciated that in some instances somefeatures of embodiments of the invention will be employed without acorresponding use of other features without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention as set forth. Therefore, many modifications maybe made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essentialscope and spirit of the present invention. It is intended that theinvention not be limited to the particular terms used in followingclaims and/or to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best modecontemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the inventionwill include any and all embodiments and equivalents falling within thescope of the appended claims.

Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by theappended claims.

1. A key clasp for retaining a key having a head portion and a shankportion coupled to the head portion, the clasp comprising: a body havinga wall defining a cavity including a length dimension and a widthdimension greater than a proximate length dimension and width dimensionof the shank portion when in a storage mode; and a key coupler foroperatively retaining the key relative to said cavity in at least twomodes, the key moveably proximated to said body to define said storagemode wherein the shank portion is retained within said cavity and anoperational mode in which the shank portion extends beyond said body. 2.The key clasp of claim 1 wherein said body includes an attachment memberfor engaging an object other than an element of the key clasp.
 3. Thekey clasp of claim 1 wherein said wall defines said cavity between afront wall portion and a rear wall portion.
 4. The key clasp of claim 2wherein said wall is formed from a unitary construction.
 5. The keyclasp of claim 2 wherein said body is generally “U” shaped having saidcavity between a first leg and a second leg of said “U.”
 6. The keyclasp of claim 2 wherein said body includes an attachment member forengaging an object other than an element of the key clasp.
 7. The keyclasp of claim 6 wherein said wall is formed from a unitaryconstruction.
 8. The key clasp of claim 7 wherein said attachment memberis defined by an attachment region of said wall.
 9. The key clasp ofclaim 1 wherein a region of the head portion extends beyond a peripheryof said body to facilitate movement of the key from said storage mode tosaid operational mode.
 10. The key clasp of claim 2 wherein a region ofthe head portion extends beyond a periphery of said body to facilitatemovement of the key from said storage mode to said operational mode. 11.The key clasp of claim 1 wherein said key coupler is a pin defining arotational pivot for the key.
 12. The key clasp of claim 11 wherein saidpin includes an attachment mode wherein the key may be coupled to anddecoupled from the key clasp and an engagement mode in which the key isretained to the key clasp.
 13. The key clasp of claim 12 wherein saidpin includes a threaded bolt portion selectively engageable with acomplementary threaded receptacle portion.
 14. The key clasp of claim 8wherein said key coupler is a pin defining a rotational pivot for thekey, wherein the key rotates within said body when moving from saidstorage mode to said operational mode.
 15. The key clasp of claim 14wherein said pin includes an attachment mode wherein the key may becoupled to and decoupled from the key clasp and an engagement mode inwhich the key is retained to the key clasp.
 16. The key clasp of claim15 wherein said pin includes a threaded bolt portion selectivelyengageable with a complementary threaded receptacle portion.
 17. Amethod of storing a key having a head portion and shank portion coupledto the head portion, the method comprising: securing the key within abody having a wall defining a cavity including a length dimension and awidth dimension greater than a proximate length dimension and widthdimension of the shank portion when in a storage mode; and retainingoperatively the key relative to said cavity in at least two modes, thekey moveably proximated to said body to define said storage mode whereinthe shank portion is retained within said cavity and an operational modein which the shank portion extends beyond said body.
 18. The method ofclaim 17 wherein said body includes an attachment member for engaging anobject other than an element of the key clasp, said wall defines saidcavity between a front wall portion and a rear wall portion, said wallis formed from a unitary construction, and said attachment member isdefined by an attachment region of said wall.
 19. The method of claim 18wherein said object is an article of clothing and said attachment memberis adapted for engagement to a portion of said article.
 20. The methodof claim 19 comprising the step of engaging said portion of saidarticle.